Shutter structure



States SHUTTER STRUCTURE Nathan Becker, Miami, Fla., assignor to Birmingham Industries, Inc., Miami, Fla., a corporation of Florida This invention is a shutter structure for use particularly in closing and securely sealing window or door openings when it is desired to securely batten such openings in the event of stormy weather, or to securely close and seal the same when the building is to be vacated.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a structure capable of being readily and easily applied to the window or door opening, and which involves closure panels capable of being easily and quickly applied in sealing engagement over the opening and which may with equal ease and facility be removed therefrom when desired. v

A further object of the invention is to provide a shutter structure wherein the shutter panel holding members are permanently secured to the building upon opposing ends of the opening, and including panels to be readily inserted and maintained in closing position over the opening and between the said members and locked securely in place so as to tightly close the opening when occasion demands.

A still further and particular object of the invention is to provide simple clamping or holding means capable of being easily and quickly applied to or removed from the shuttler structure and which, when properly associated therewith, maintains the shutter members in tightly sealed position over the opening.

A further object of the invention is to provide clamping means for maintaining the removable panels in tightly sealed position over the opening and which maintains constant pressure means for insuring tight sealing of the panel members when in applied position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide improved clamp means, applicable to the panels between the ends thereof, to secure overlapped or interlocked panel edges in tight sealing engagement with one another to prevent bowing of the panel members and to maintain the abutting edges in tight sealed relationship.

With theforegoing objects in View, together with others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all as will be described more fully hereinafter, illustrated in the drawing, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is an elevation, parts broken away, of a shutter structure involving my invention engaged over the window or door opening of a building as it will appear in operative position,

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken through the structure substantially upon the line 2 2 of Fig. l,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken upon line 3 3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken through the sill element and illustrating the wedge clamping means for maintaining the panels securely in position, and

Fig. 5 is a similar view illustrating the improved clamp 2,867,011 Patented aan. s, 1959 2 for maintaining the interlocked edges of the panels in secure clamped relationship with one another.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the header member of the structure is indicated generally at 6 and is constructed of an elongated strip of suitable metal bent upon itself to provide a base 7, an outwardly projecting ledge 8 disposed at right angles to the base, and from the outer end of which is an integral depending flange or apron 9 spaced from the base 7. The length of this header will be slightly greater than the Width of the opening to be closed or sealed, and is secured to the building by suitable screws or nails 10 in parallelism with the upper edge of the window opening lindicated generally at 11.

The mounting angle or sill member is also constructed from an elongated metal sheet extruded as shown more particularly in Figs. 2 and 4, to provide a mounting base 12 to lie flat against the face of the building and to be secured thereto by screws, nails or other securing elements 13. This mounting angle has an integral forwardly projecting sill member 14 preferably coterminus with the mounting angle and disposed at right angles to the base 12 thereof. The lower end of the base 12 is bowed outwardly as at 15 at its lower end and the forward face of this bowed portion is provided with serrations, ribs or teeth 16 as shown. It will be observed that the bowed portion 15 is disposed forwardly and out of the plane of the base 12. The sill strip is provided with spaced openings 17 which terminate at their inner ends adjacent to the outer face of the base 12.

The closure or panel member, in instances where the opening is comparatively small, may be a single sheet of llat metal of a size to t over the window opening and to engage at its upper end behind the apron or flange 9 and to rest at its lower end upon the upper surface of the sill or ledge 14 of the mounting angle. In instances where larger openings are to be covered, a seriesof panels 1S are employed, the said panels having their abutting edges turned outwardly in overlapped or interlocking engagernent as indicated at 19.

In applying the closure panels over the opening, whether it be a single panel or a plurality of interlocked panels, the same are inserted4 from the ends of the header and sill members so as to be enclosed at their upper ends behind the dependingV apron 9 and to rest at their lower ends upon theoutwardly projecting sill memberV 14. When thus properly` positioned, wedge members 20, formed preferably of metal, are inserted in a downward direction through the openings 17 in the sill member and forced at their lower ends against the outwardly bowed serrated portions 15. The upper end of each wedge member is provided with a forwardly projecting lip 21 to afford means for easily inserting or removing the wedge members. Each wedge member may also be provided with an opening 22 for the insertion of an instrument to enable the wedges to be readily lifted out should they become jammed. It will be observed, particuiarly with reference to Fig. 4 of the drawing, that these wedge members when moved downwardly through the opening 17 engage on their rear faces with the serrated bowed portions 15 thereby rocking or forcing the lower ends of the wedges in an outward direction and consequently forcing the upper portions 23 of the wedge members inwardly into tight engagement with the panel 18, thereby forcing the latter into tight sealing engagement with the forward face of the base member 12 and maintaining the panel in tight sealed engagement over panel, slight pressure applied in an upward direction beneath the outturned lip 21, or the. insertion of a pointed instrument through the opening 22, will enable the wedge to be readily removed from the opening 17 so that the panel may be released.

In instances where the window opening is of such size as to require a plurality of panels 18, the latter are applied to the window opening in the manner stated and with their abutting edges in overlapped or interloclred engagement as shown more particularly in Fig. 3 of the drawing. In such instance, it is desirable that the medial portions of these elongated panels be maintained in tight engagement and against bowing or bulging. To this end, the interloeked or interengaged edges of the panels S are provided with registering slots 24 to receive the clamp meerber disclosed in detail in Fig. of the drawing. This clamp member is made of light resilient material of a width to be insertible in the registering openings 24. This clamp member is bent upon itself to provide clamping jaws 25 to engage in the openings 24 and upon the cir.-

side faces of the interlock'ed or overlapped edges 19 of 'the panels. The jaws 25 are provided with registering openings through which the shank 26 of a screw extends, thy said shank having its threads engaged with similar threads within the innermost of the jaws 2S. A locking nut 27 engaged with the threads of the stem 256 -is employed to tightly bind the jaws 25 of the clamp in tight engagement with the enclosed overlapped edges 19 of the panel members. The lower end of the clamp may be provided with an outwardly projecting foot 28 to facilitate application f of the clamp to the overlapped edges or to remove the same therefrom after the screw shank 26 has been removed.

From the foregoing it is apparent that I have provided simple and yet most efficient means for securing closure panels over the window or door opening, and the construction and arrangement of the Wedges and the manner in which they cooperate with the sill member insures at all times tight litting engagement of the panels against By use of the clamp here the base of the sill member. described for connecting the abutting edges of adjacent panels, the latter are maintained inwardly from their ends at all times in tight engagement with one another to prevent the entrance behind the panel of wind or rain.

I claim:

1. In a shutter structure, a mounting base secured below the window opening and parallel therewith, a sill projecting outwardly from said mounting base at substan tially right angles thereto and having an opening therein terminating adjacent to said base, a-panel covering said window opening and resting at its lower edge on said sill against said base, said base having an outwardly bowed portion at its lower end spaced said sill and beyond the inner edge of said opening, and a wedge inserted through said sill opening and engaged with said outwardly bowed portion whereby the upper end of said wedge is forced inwardly by said bowed portion into engagement with said panel.

2. In a shutter structure for window openings, a header disposed above said opening, a mounting angle disposed below said opening, panels resting upon said mounting angle and having their upper ends engaged in said header, the adjacent edges of said panels being in overlapped relationship and having registering slots therein, a clamp member inserted in said registering slots and having resilient jaws engaged with said overlapped panel edges, a screw passing through said overlapped panel edges and through said jaws, and a locking nut threaded upon said screw to tightly draw said clamping jaws into engagement with said overlapped panel portions.

3. In a shutter structure for window openings, a mounting base secured below said window opening in a plane parallel therewith, a sill projecting outwardly from the mid-portion of said base and having an opening therethrough, a bowed portion projecting outwardly from said base below said sill, a at panel covering said window opening and resting at its lower edge upon said sill, and a wedge passing through said sill opening in engagement at its lower end with said bowed portion whereby the upper end of said wedge will move said panel in engagement with the upper portion of said mounting base.

4. In a shutter structure for window openings, a mounting base secured below said window opening in a plane parallel therewith, a sill projecting outwardly from the mid-portion of said base and having an opening therein extending outwardly from said mounting base, a bowed portion projecting outwardly from said base below said sill and projecting beyond the inner edge of said sill opening, a flat panel covering said window opening and restA ing at its lower edge upon said sill, and a wedge passing through said sill opening and engaged at its lower end with said bowed portion whereby the upper end of said wedge will be moved laterally against said panel to force the latter into tight engagement with the adjacent portion of said mounting base.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,177,605 Dipple Apr. 4, 1916 1,506,442 OHara Aug. 26, 1924 2,454,975 Pelley Nov. 30, 1948 2,568,195 Iones Sept. 18, 1951 2,721,633 Keelor Oct. 25, 1955 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 2,867,0ll v January 6) 1959 Nathan Becker' It is hereby certified that error appears in they vabove numbered patent l requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as sorrected below.. 4

ln the grant, lines l, 2 and 3, for "assignor to Birmingham Industries,

lne. of Miami, Florida, a corporation of Florida, 1 read. u as'signor, by

mesne assignments, to Small Business Administration, of Atlanta, Georgiafzfg line l2, for HBirmingham Industries, lnen its successors" read im Small Business Administration, its successors in the heading to theprinted specification, lines 3 and A, for "assignorto Birmingham Industries, Ine-L, Miami, Fla., a corporation of Florida" read assignor, by mesne assig ,anm ments, to Small Business Administration, tlanta, Ga.--.

Signed and sealed this; 25th day of August 1959.

(SEAL) Attest:

KARL IH MINE y ROBERT C.,f. .w`lA-TsoN Attesting Officier Conmissioner-Mof Patents 

